The Love Potion
by unbroken.dreams
Summary: With a love potion things are bound to get complicated. What's real? What isn't? There's no way to find out and soon Nico also starts to question his own feelings. / Valdangelo! Other canon ships included.
1. Chapter 1

After I read all the books in only three weeks (no, I did not catch much sleep) and have fallen in love with Valdangelo... I have tons of fanfic ideas. I started one of them today.

So for this fanfic Leo never died and never picked up that really nice lady Calpyso whom I don't dislike in any way (_cough cough_). He also never swore on the Styx to come back to her (just in case). Everything else happened the way it did in the books.

Anyway, I hope you like it! Please be sure to review :)

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><p><strong>1<strong>

Nico di Angelo had come a long way.

It had been eight month since Gaea was defeated and since then Nico had tried really hard to be less anti-social and more, well, social. He lived in Camp Half-Blood and people accepted him, which had been a new feeling for him at first, but a good one. Of course Will would insist that they had always accepted him and everything else had just been in Nico's head.

Will. His first boyfriend. And also his first _ex-_boyfriend. Will had broken up with him five weeks ago because he was convinced Nico still had feelings for Percy. In a way Nico wished he had never come clean about that, it had done nothing but ruining his relationship with Will before it even began. He had always felt threatened by Percy.

However, a couple of hours ago Will had taken Nico aside and told him he wanted to talk to him tonight. Annabeth thought it was because he wanted to get back together with him. That's why Nico wasn't sure he would show up to their... meeting, date, whatever it was. He didn't know if he wanted to get back together.

The truth was, he was still waiting to be heartbroken because of the break-up. Sure, he was unpleased Will broke things off but mostly because he didn't think the son of Hades should get _dumped_. Maybe his feelings for Will weren't that strong after all and if that was the case, should he even think about getting back together with him? It wouldn't be fair to either of them.

Whenever Nico needed to think or just wanted to be alone he retreated in the woods, which was where he was now. Leaning against a tree and staring at the ground where once the entrance to the labyrinth had been. After all this time, he still knew exactly where the place was. He could almost see it, almost feel it. It was as if it helped him organize his thoughts.

Until...

"Found it." A satisfied voice pulled him out of his train of thoughts.

It was DrewTanaka, a daughter from Aphrodite. Nico didn't turn around to see what she was doing here because he simply didn't care. He couldn't help overhearing her though. Her and the friends she apparently brought.

A girl asked: "Is the potion complete now?"

"Yes. This flower was the last ingredient I needed."

"I don't know about this, Drew," said a boy. "Don't you think there's a _reason_ this potion hasn't been used in centuries?"

That didn't sound good. Nico started to listen attentively.

"It's a love potion, idiot. What can go wrong?"

"Uh... everything? If he drinks this he falls for the first person he sees. If that's not you-"

"Leave that up to me, will you? Look, Piper McLean took everything away from me. I will punish her for that. And the best way to do that is to make her boyfriend fall in love with me. And since he refuses to do that on his own..."

_I wonder why_, Nico couldn't help thinking.

"Besides, mother would want me to use it. She's the freaking goddess of love after all. Tonight Jason Grace will get a girlfriend-update."

Then their voices got quieter until they were gone, leaving Nico behind with uncertainty. No love potion he had heard of had ever worked (not that he had ever gotten into that topic). Still, Drew was a child of Aphrodite, maybe she knew something he didn't. Which meant he should probably warn Jason. Not Piper. She would kill Drew in a heartbeat if she found out about her plan.

He found Jason talking to Percy at the lake and told them everything he overheard.

"A love potion?" Jason looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or panic. Percy didn't have such a hard time deciding; he suppressed laughing so bad, it looked like he was about to have an epileptic shock.

"That's what she said. She plans to use it on you tonight. I doubt it'll work but I wanted to give you a heads up anyway."

"Yeah, thanks. To think, I would fall for Drew..."

"Or worse," Percy said. "You'd fall for the first person you see... if Drew screws up – which is very likely – that could be anyone. Carisse for example. Or Tyson... or Chiron-"

"I got it," Jason tried to silence him.

"Or yourself, if you happened to look into a mirror."

Jason was staring to get annoyed. "Thank you, Percy!"

"Endless possibilities, really... hey, remind me to keep Annabeth away from you."

Nico didn't say anything but while Percy was kidding, he had a point. A working love potion could be very dangerous.

"Anyway," Jason said. "The solution here is easy. I simply won't drink anything Drew gives to me."

"Should we tell the others?" Nico asked. "In all seriousness, if it works it could turn into a problem."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Jason said. "We do that, Piper might find out and that would _not_ end well."

"Agreed. In addition, I'd really like to see you fall in love with Ella", Percy added and ducked as Jason tried to hit him.

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><p>Later that evening Nico sat with the others at the bonfire. He still wasn't a fan of big crowds like this but he hoped that spending time around Percy tonight would make Will reconsider meeting Nico later. He still wasn't sure what he wanted and needed more time to think about it. That's why he sat next to Percy, even though it also meant sitting next to Leo Valdez.<p>

Nico was always uneasy around him.

It wasn't that he disliked Leo. On the contrary, he liked and respected him, after all he had been prepared to die in order to defeat Gaea and Nico admired that kind of bravery.

Still, Leo's entire personality was too much to handle for Nico. A lot of half-bloods had ADHD but Leo was an extreme case. He always needed to keep his hands busy, or his mouth, or both. Nico was the exact opposite which was why he avoided spending too much time with him.

Tonight Leo was being extra annoying. He was eating exotic sweets Travis Stoll had given him and kept rustling with the bag. Also, he commented on everything he ate ("This is freaky." - "Ew, peanut butter should _not_ be forced in the form of chocolate" - "I don't even want to know what that was.") For some reason no one else wanted to try some.

Nico ignored him as far as he could and tried to look like he was in on the conversation between Percy and Annabeth. He was pleased to notice that Will kept looking over and did not appear to be happy.

When Drew came over with three cups Piper tensed. "I wonder what she wants."

Nico and Percy shared a look with Jason, who was sitting on the other side of Leo, who didn't realize anything was going on and kept eating his sweets ("Wow that should go in mass production").

Drew stopped in front of Piper, who didn't get up. Neither did anyone else.

"I come in peace." Drew said.

_I doubt it_, Nico thought.

"What's that?" Percy asked and pointed at the cups.

"My peace-offering to Piper and of course Jason, because he's her boyfriend. I want to apologize for my behavior towards you since... well, since we met. I realize it was childish and insecure and I'd really like it if we could be friends in the future. Here." She gave Piper and Jason a cup and kept one for herself. Nico noted that the cup for Jason was yellow, while the other two were red. "I'd like to drink to that."

Jason looked at his cup as if he expected it to explode.

Piper didn't seem convinced but said: "I don't want any bad blood between us, Drew. After all we are sort of half sisters."

"Exactly." Drew said and raised her cup. "To peace." Piper followed her example.

("Why would someone create a grass flavor," Leo complained.)

"This is very nice of you, Drew," Jason said. "I'm not really that thirsty, though..."

"I'm not asking you to drink the whole thing. A little sip will be enough. You know, symbolically." Drew urged him.

At that moment Leo coughed. "Gods... Chilli peppers..." He grasped Jason's cup.

"Leo, don't!" Nico snatched the cup away from him but Leo had already drunken some.

And he was staring at Nico.


	2. Chapter 2

I'm glad you liked the beginning :)

Beginnings are always a little bumpy with having to set everything for the plot but not a lot happens... anyway, that changes in Chapter 2! Personally, I love it. Hope you do, too! Please remember to review ^^

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><p><strong>2<strong>

It was as if someone had frozen time in one of the most unfortunate moments in Nico's life.

Percy, Jason and Nico stared at Leo, all of them tensed and waiting for something to happen. Nico wasn't even sure what he was waiting for. Big pink hearts popping up in Leo's eyes, like in the Mangas he used to read when he was little? Leo bursting out in a love song as if they were in a musical? Leo tackling him to the ground to kiss him?

Nothing like that happened.

In fact, nothing happened at all.

Leo just stared at him. After a while he noticed he was the center of attention and looked around. "What?" he asked with nothing in his eyes but a complete lack of understanding. "What did I do?"

"You…_ idiot_!" Drew spat out.

Leo blinked at her. "So I'm guessing the peace-offering was really just limited on Piper and Jason? Or is this your idea of a cute pet nickname? For future reference, I'd prefer something like Sweet Cheeks or Hot Stuff."

"Uhm, Leo…" Percy started. "You just drank a love potion ..."

"…while you were looking at Nico." Jason ended.

Without even taking time to process this (Nico did not understand how to lead a conversation that way) Leo replied: "Are you sure _I_ drank it, when it's you two lovey-doveys who are finishing each other's sentences?"

"Hold on," Piper said, glanced at Drew and stood up. "You were trying to give _my boyfriend_ a love potion?" People always said Nico was frightening - but Nico could sometimes say the same about Piper. He would not want to switch places with Drew.

But Drew did not even flinch. "No!"

"Yes you were," said Percy. "Nico overheard you in the woods earlier."

"Oh, _interesting_," Drew said and glanced over to Nico.

There was something in her tone that made him clench his fists. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing. It's just that you _knew_ what would happen and yet you jumped right into his view. I mean, Will _did_ just break up with you, didn't he?"

It took Nico a lot of effort to keep his rage under control. Nevertheless, he still shot Drew a dark look as he slowly - dangerously - raised to his feet. "I did not_ jump_ into his view. I tried to keep him from drinking it." To his satisfaction Drew winced. Nico had changed a lot since last summer, but it was good to know he could still scare people if he intended to.

However, that didn't keep her from replying "How convenient," but her voice had gotten a bit shaky.

Right when Percy and Jason got up (probably to storm at Drew) Annabeth did as well and grabbed her boyfriend by his arm. "Guys! Let's not lose our heads over this!"

She turned to Leo, who was being uncharacteristically apathetic. It was only now that Nico realized Leo was staring at him again, as if he was a difficult math problem Leo was trying to solve. Suddenly he was very grateful for the darkness because he felt his face heating up.

"Leo," Annabeth said in a calm voice, sounding a little bit like a therapist. "How do you feel?"

As if her voice had snapped Leo out of his thoughts he looked away from Nico. "No different, to be honest."

"Really?" Jason asked. "You were being awfully quiet."

"Hey, I was enjoying the show! This is better than TV."

Drew surveyed him like he was an experiment that had gone wrong. "You didn't drink much. Maybe it'll take a while until it works."

Leo sighed. "Look," he said and rose to his feet. "I feel completely normal. And I promise, the moment I get the sudden urge to jump Nico's bones, I will immediately tell someone so you can lock me up." Nico's face felt hotter by the second and he was painfully uncertain whether this was one of Leo's unappropriated jokes. "But until then, I'll be off. You know, before I accidentally drink any more love potions or whatsoever." He waved them goodbye in a hopelessly overdone gesture. "Adiós amigos!"

"Do you think he's telling the truth?" Percy asked after Leo was gone.

Jason shrugged his shoulders. "He _seemed_ normal enough I guess… It probably didn't work. Hey, where's Drew?" Apparently she had taken off when all the attention had been on Leo.

"Hiding doesn't help her. We sleep in the same cabin." Piper noted grumpy.

Jason put an arm around his girlfriend and said something to her but Nico was hardly paying attention anymore. His thoughts still revolved around Leo. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to come.

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><p>The night was still young and - as it turned out - not done with Nico yet.<p>

About half an hour later Nico got up to go back to his cabin - and he saw Will was about to follow him. Nico quickly asked Annabeth to delay him, because she was the only one who knew Will wanted to talk to him tonight. Nico still didn't know if he wanted to get back together with Will or not, but he knew one thing: This conversation would not be happening tonight.

Unfortunately he couldn't shadow-travel, he was still exhausted from last week. Nico visited Hazel, Reyna and Frank at Camp Jupiter at least once a month and shadow-travel was the fastest way. He'd been there last week and it was a great distance. If he didn't want to risk his life, he needed to stay clear of shadow-traveling at least for another week. Nico cursed internally.

Then he spotted a solution: Leo was sitting in front of the Hephaestus cabin and was playing with a small metallic-something in his hands. Not a good solution, Nico figured, but he'd go for it. Nico hurried and reached him just in time; Will wasn't too far behind him.

"I need your help," Nico said in a hushed voice. "Tell Will we have plans or something."

Leo looked up and raised his eyebrows. "Why?"

"Just do it." Nico realized he was being rude (in fact, he could count himself lucky if Leo didn't send him packing), but there was nothing he could do about it right now.

"What kind of plans?"

"I don't know. Think of something. You're good at that." That was true. If anything, Leo was amazing when it came to making up plans as he went along. He never lost his head in messy situations. No wonder he'd been a part of the Prophecy of Seven, they were all like this.

Will reached them. "Hey guys," he said kindly, but as Nico turned around he saw that Will was unhappy Leo was here as well. Something, he instantly attempted to change. "Nico, can we talk now?"

When Leo didn't say anything (he probably wasn't going to help him, why would he) it was on Nico to reply. "Actually ... now is a bad time."

"Why?" Will frowned.

While Nico was still struggling to find words Leo decided to speak up. "That's my fault. Sorry. I was just asking for Nico's assistance with a project I have going on over at Bunker 9. He agreed to help. It's kind of important, too. You know, world-changing and freaking awesome ... the usual when I work on something."

"You want to go to Bunker 9?" Apparently Will would not want to get into on how awesome he thought Leo was right about now. Nico thought that was probably for the best. "Now? You've got like an hour until curfew."

Leo raised to his feet, took Nico by his arm and pulled him towards the woods. "Which is exactly why we have to hurry. See ya!"

When they were far away from Will Nico dared to breathe again. "Did you _have_ to say we were going to Bunker 9?"

Leo shrugged his shoulders. "That's always the first place to pop into my head. Besides, we don't have to actually go there."

As soon as Nico realized he was still being rude he said: "Thank you, by the way. I owe you."

Leo grinned. It was that kind of grin he did when he was about to prank someone or make a stupid joke. "Yes, you do, Honey Bunny."

Nico managed not to blush, but he didn't know what to reply either. Usually he didn't have a problem coming up with sassy come-backs, but with he found it impossible with Leo.

"No?" Leo asked after a while. "Okay, not Honey Bunny… how about Love Muffin? Angel Face?"

"Please. Stop." Nico said but couldn't help the sides of his mouth twitching.

Leo now smiled in satisfaction. "Angel Face it is," he pointed at Nico with the metal-thing in his hand. "You smiled, I saw it. Don't try to deny it."

His last name aside, Nico thought it was wildly inappropriate to call a son of Hades_ Angel Face_. But he assumed Leo was still kidding and let it go. "What is that anyway?"

"A smile? I thought you've learned that by now."

"No." Nico said and fought against another smile. "That." He nodded towards that something in Leo's hands.

"Oh," Leo looked at it as if he'd only just realized he had anything in his hands. "Right. That project I was talking about – it's real. This is a part of it." Leo suddenly stopped walking. They were at the edge of the forest but well hidden behind trees. "I think we can wait here."

Nico wanted to ask what project he was talking about, but thought that he should clear the air about something else first. Especially when he was with Leo. In the woods. With nothing but the moonlight to accompany them. It could easily be looked at as a romantic setting. "I didn't do it, you know. What Drew said. I didn't jump into your view or anything."

"I know. She tried to take the heat off of her and onto you. Tacky move," Leo said. "It didn't even make sense. Why would you want to make me fall in love with you. You can't stand me."

Nico looked at him in surprise. "That's not true."

Leo shot him a look as if to say _Really, man? Who are you trying to kid here?_

"It's _not_. You're just so different from me that I don't always know how to deal with you. But I _do_ like you." He felt like should add _as a friend_, but thought that might bring them on awkward territory, so he didn't. Boy, this love potion already made things difficult.

"Okay then," Leo smiled at him and glanced back at the cabins. "Anyway, I think you're good to go. Will's gone."

"Good. And thank you again."

"Don't worry about it", Leo said. "Just one last thing."

Before Nico knew what was happening Leo grabbed him by his hips, pulled Nico close to him, and pressed his lips on Nico's.

Nico was completely taken aback, not just by Leo's impulsive act but also by how his body reacted to it. Everything seemed to happen at once; his heartbeat sped up, his stomach twisted, his head felt dizzy. When his brain activity kicked back in (although up until then he hadn't noticed it had been off) he realized he was kissing Leo _back_. He may have the entire time.

And even as he became aware of it, he didn't pull away.

It was Leo who did (after what could have been five seconds or five hours, Nico couldn't tell if his life depended on it). Although he was still close enough for Nico to feel Leo's breath on his lips. It took him a moment and when he finally said something his voice was trembling. "So ... the potion worked?"

Leo licked his own lips and seemed to be thinking about his words. Something Nico rarely ever saw with him. "I don't know yet."

Nico blinked. "But ... you kissed me."

"Yeah," Leo said smirking. "I kissed you." As he backed away he drove his fingertips from Nico's hips over his stomach until he finally let go. The trace Leo left felt so hot, Nico needed to look down to make sure Leo hadn't set him on fire. He hadn't. However, when he looked back at Leo, Nico could have sworn he saw smoke rising from his fingertips for a split second.

"But you kissed me back," Leo continued. "See, the thing is: _I_ drank a love potion. What's your excuse?" He then turned around and walked away.

In this moment, Nico felt like someone had wiped his head clear. He only knew three things for sure.

One; his name was Nico di Angelo (at least he was almost 100% positive).

Two; his heart was still racing dangerously fast.

And three; he did not have an answer to Leo's question.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! I was so happy to read your reviews :) Please keep them up they always make my day!

So anyways, I really wanted to do another chapter before Christmas and here it is! I hope you like it.  
>And Merry Christmas everyone!<p>

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><p><strong>3<strong>

Reflex.

A couple of days later the answer came to him as clear, as if someone had handed it to him on a note. A god damn reflex. That's why he had kissed Leo back and why his body had reacted the way it had. Being kissed was intense as it was and Leo had caught him by surprise. It had been bound to temporarily shot down Nico's, well, brain. Besides, everyone would black out a little if Leo kissed them … it wasn't a big deal.

However, on a completely unrelated topic Nico decided it was best to avoid Leo – which turned out to be surprisingly easy. Leo was hardly ever around. Jason said he spend most of his time in Bunker 9 and once again Nico wondered, what project he was working on.

Whenever he _did_ see Leo, he never attempted to talk to Nico. He should be grateful for that. Except that he wasn't. In a way, Leo keeping his distance made Nico think about him even _more._ In particular; that kiss. He could hardly sleep anymore because every time he closed his eyes he replayed the kiss in his mind. It got to a point where he was starting to worry about something else than just Leo's feelings ... Until it hit him: What if the potion hadn't just affected Leo?

The day after the kiss Nico had gone to Piper and asked her to find an antidote for the love potion. As it turned out she knew a thing or two about that topic. She would have said something if … nevertheless, he needed to talk to her again. Unfortunately this meant coming clean about one thing he had kept from her.

He found Piper outside the Aphrodite cabin, explaining Drew why she couldn't try to love-potion someone's boyfriend and expect _not_ to get some extra duties.

"Piper, can we talk?" Nico asked. "Alone?"

Maybe it was a mistake to leave Drew out of this, after all the potion had been her idea in the first place. But Nico was barely able to talk to Piper about this – Drew couldn't find out. Especially not after her accusation, that Nico had _wanted_ Leo to fall for him. Although he knew no one believed it, it hung over him like a dark cloud.

"Sure," Piper said and signed for Drew to get started on whatever unpleasant task Piper had set her on. "Let's go inside."

Nico followed her inside and carefully closed the door.

"So what's up?" Piper asked. "If it's about the antidote, I haven't found anything yet. I may need to find a way to talk to my mother but it's not like that's the most simple thing in the world."

Deciding it was best to get right on topic Nico just sprang it on her: "Do you think the love potion works both ways?"

She took a moment to process his question. "Nico ... why would you ask that?"

"Leo …" he lowered his head. "Leo kissed me."

"Well … I assume he was bound to try something like that. Maybe if you'd let me _tell_ somebody the potion worked we could keep more of an eye on him." While that was true, it wasn't an option. Nico had asked her to keep quiet and it needed to stay that way.

"No, you don't get it," he lowered his head. "He kissed me and … I kissed him back."

Piper blinked at him. Nico felt his cheeks getting warm. "It was a reflex, okay?"

"Yeah, no, hey, honest mistake … clearly it could have happened to anybody. Nico, you do know Leo's ... well ... you know."

"It was just a kiss," Nico realized he was being rude again, but didn't care. Piper was about to cross a line with him and he wouldn't let her. "And frankly, that's not why I'm here. I was hoping you could answer my question. Is it possible for the potion to work on both of us?"

Piper shook her head. "I don't think so, no. In the rare cases a love potion actually worked in the past, it only affected the one who drank it. You should be fine."

Whatever he was feeling it certainly wasn't _fine_. He felt sort of … numb. After all, the potion working on both of them would have been the perfect explanation for everything. But thanks to Piper he could say goodbye to his theory which left him with one question: Why couldn't he get that kiss out of his mind?

"It's normal to think about the kiss, though," Piper added after a while.

Nico looked up in shock and felt as if she'd read his mind. Something he did not like. "How did you-?"

"Give me some credit, will you? Jason is my first boyfriend, but I have kissed other boys before him. I was … exited that I got their attention and confused it with attraction. Or even love. That happens and it's completely normal. Give it time and you'll see things more clearly. And once we found an antidote, Leo will be back to normal, too. It's all going to be fine."

Her words had such a soothing effect, Nico wondered whether Piper had worked a little charmspeak into them. He came to the conclusion that he didn't care. In days he hadn't felt this calm. Even Drew couldn't shake this feeling, who was standing unusually close to the Cabin as he left it.

Nico just knew: It was all going to be fine.

* * *

><p>As he was about to find out: Nope.<p>

Ironically Leo chose this very afternoon to approach him again. Nico was sitting in front of his cabin, lost in thoughts (about no one and nothing in particular) when Leo walked up to him.

"Hey there, Angel Face," he said and continued without giving Nico time to tell him to cut the nickname out. "Remember that favor you owe me?"

"Uh …" For a brief moment Nico thought about denying it. But what good would it have done? "Yes?"

Leo grinned. "It's time to collect. Follow me, please," he said, turned around and went ahead.

When Nico didn't move, Leo stopped and looked back at him. "Are you _going _to make me take your hand and drag you after me? Because that'll raise questions." He left no doubt about the fact that he had absolutely no problem with doing it though.

Nico rushed to his feet in no time. As they walked towards the woods he hoped Piper wouldn't see them … however, the only one Nico did notice seeing them was Drew. That wasn't good either, but since there was nothing he could do about it he let it go and kept walking.

"Am I allowed to ask where we're going?" Nico asked after a while.

"I'm pretty sure you can figure it out on your own."

That was true. In fact, Nico was pretty sure he'd already known the answer before he'd asked the question. There was only one place Leo would go when he walked in to the woods: Bunker 9. They remained quiet for the rest of the way and Nico found the silence very uncomfortable. Of course he wasn't exactly the world's greatest conversationalist so he had no choice but to deal with it.

When they finally arrived at the Bunker Leo opened the great doors and gestured for Nico to go in. He wasn't there often but he was impressed every time he entered it. The Bunker itself was admirable enough, but that it was built into a mountain made it impossible to describe. Leo didn't close the doors behind him, which Nico was quietly thankful for. It would be awkward alone in a closed room with Leo, no matter if it was as big as Bunker 9.

"So, are you going to tell me why I'm here?"

For a moment Nico thought he saw a hurt expression on Leo's face but it vanished as quickly as it had come. "Uh, someone's in a bad mood," Leo said and walked past him to one of the working tables. "Don't worry, I'll make it quick so you can go back to your cabin, doing absolutely nothing at all."

Feeling like a total jerk, Nico followed him.

"You know how demigods can't use cellphones unless we want to become even more demon-magnet-y?" Leo started explaining. "I don't know about you, but I think that sucks. So, naturally, I plan to find a way around it."

Against his will, Nico found himself to be curious. "How?"

"Well, at first I attempted to build an advice myself, that would function as a phone. But that blew up in my face. Literally. Then I built this little chip which goes into a regular phone," he grabbed a phone from the table, cracked it open and showed Nico the implemented chip. "It blocks out our demigod-vibe. Unfortunately the chip works a little too well and blocks out everything else as well, _including_ the phone signal. I realize you don't know too much about this stuff, but that's the _one_ thing you want to work when you're calling someone. So I had this idea to redirect the signal over the Olympus which should be powerful enough to support the signal. But that's not as easy as I would have expected it to be."

Nico stared at him in disbelief.

"What?" Leo asked.

"You're attempting to turn the Olympus into a radio tower and thought that would be _easy_ ... I'm just trying to figure out whether you're a genius or completely lost your mind now."

Leo grinned. "Both," he said. "Always _both_. But seriously, the idea isn't that farfetched. If anything, the Olympus is a major power source, with all the gods being there and everything."

"I guess, but none you can just access with a regular phone."

"I think that's very much possible, I would just have to get the support of the gods. However, I can't contact any of them, not even my dad. And that's where _you_ come in. You're the only demigod I know who can visit his dad if he wants to."

Nico didn't even need time to think about his answer. "Exactly: If I want to. I've been trying to stay clear of the Underworld. Besides, even if I asked him and he agreed to help – which is a very big _if_ – he's not part of the Olympus."

"No, but he sure knows how to pass on the message. And I'm absolutely positive, if my father hears about the idea, he'll be on board. Plus, he'll have a new favorite child."

"You defeated Gaea. I'm pretty sure you're his favorite already." Nico didn't realize what he said until he'd said it and immediately looked away. "I mean, you know … you saved the world. If that doesn't impress a god I don't know what will."

From the corner of his eyes he saw Leo smiling. "Thanks for the flowers. But still, he won't answer my calls. Which is rather ironic, because I want to talk to him _about_ calls. Anyway. What do you say? Will you talk to your dad?"

Nico hesitated. He really didn't want to go back into the Underworld. That was a part of his life he was desperately trying to leave behind. Additionally, he was pretty sure the idea of talking to Hades was a dead end … in the most literal sense ever. Still. He _did_ owe Leo a favor. "I guess I can try. But don't get your hopes up. My father is not known to be very helpful."

"Great," Leo seemed to have chosen to overhear that last part. "Thanks, dude. It means a lot."

"It is a good idea," Nico admitted. "But … you didn't have to drag me all the way out here." It wasn't until now that he realized that. Leo could have brought the phone back with him to the cabins.

"Nah, my project's don't leave this Bunker until they're finished."

Something about that explanation seemed not right to Nico but he didn't address the topic any further. He had a feeling he might not want to know the real answer.

Suddenly he heard a noise and saw the great doors closing. "What's going on?"

To both, his relief and shock, he saw that Leo was just as surprised about that as he was. "I don't know … hey!" He ran towards the doors but didn't reach them on time. All he could do was try and open them, but he soon turned back to Nico. "I don't know how but they're locked." Leo hit the doors with his flat hands. "Whoever's doing that, it's not funny!"

"It's not supposed to be _funny_, idiot!" That was ...

"Drew?!" Leo asked. "What in the gods names are you doing here?"

"I followed you to your little make-out place. I know about the kiss."

Nico got mad, but mostly at himself. He should have known Drew had overheard his conversation with Piper and he'd also seen her right when he and Leo went into the woods. This was his fault because he hadn't done anything about it.

"Well, congratulations," Leo didn't seem to get worked up at all. "Apparently you show some signs of intelligence when it comes to gossip. Now, do you mind letting us out?"

"I will. Once Nico promises me something."

Nico swallowed hard and walked over to the doors, avoiding eye contact with Leo completely. "What do you want?"

"You are going to tell Piper to cut out the crappy assignments she keeps giving me! I'm sick of it!"

"What makes you think I can do anything about that?"

"Because you're the damn victim of this whole love-potion-thing. Even though you've enjoyed the kiss just fine."

Nico shut his eyes close and silently made a vow to make her pay for that. "I'm not the victim. In case you forgot, Leo drank the potion."

"Yes, but that's exactly what makes him mentally incompetent. Even more than usual."

Leo tossed in a "Hey!" but Drew ignored him.

"It has to be you, Nico."

He his lip. "Piper's right to punish you, Drew. I won't do it."

A short moment of silence. Then: "Maybe I should give you some time to think about it. It's getting late. I'll be back tomorrow morning."

"Wait, Drew, don't go! - DREW?" Leo yelled but she seemed to be already gone. He sighed and leaned his forehead against the door. "Next time: Lie. It's _not_ that hard I do it all the time."

Nico didn't say it out loud, but Leo was probably right. He _should_ have lied. Now he was about to spend the night locked in Bunker 9 with Leo.

So much for staying away from him.


	4. Chapter 4

Happy New Year everyone!

I'm back with another chapter. I really really hope you like it ... things are getting intense!

As for the question about Nico shadow-travelling out; it'll be dealt with in this chapter. But you should re-read the previous chapters, the answer's there, too :)

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><p><strong>4<strong>

"So, now that we have some time to kill," the sides of Leo's mouth twitched. "You enjoyed the kiss?"

Nico walked away from him with the uncomfortable certainty that his cheeks had turned red. "Can we just _not_ talk right now?"

"Sure. Should we kiss instead, or …?" When Leo caught Nico's dark look he raised his palms. "No jokes. Got it."

"How about you look for another way out of here?"

"I would," Leo said. "But I have before and didn't find any. I doubt we're going to find one in the next 12 hours."

Nico sighed. "Perfect."

"Relax, the others will miss us at dinner and find us eventually."

"Yes. Locked in together in a confined space!"

"Do you realize you always overthink stuff, don't you? Your mind is the only one that'll go there. It's not our fault we were locked in here." Nico grunted but Leo carried on. "Besides, it's not like Bunker 9 is a broom closet. You can relax."

That wasn't at all what Nico felt like doing. He was trapped in one room with Leo who, aside from Will, was the last person he could handle being alone with right now. Given the thing with the potion and how the kiss had messed Nico up.

"Well, as long as I'm here I might as well do something useful" Leo cracked his knuckles and walked past Nico to one of the tables – and started working.

He had some nerve. "And what am I supposed to do?"

"Well ... you can A) make yourself useful and help me. B) Look for another exit. Or C) Stay where you are and do nothing except looking pretty and uncomfortable. Sorry. I meant to say pretty uncomfortable."

Nico doubted that's what he'd wanted to say (and not just because of the rather sarcastic grin on Leo's face) but he let it go and decided to go with option B; look for a way out of here.

* * *

><p>About an hour later Nico gave up. Leo had been right after all, there where the great doors and that was it. If there was another way out it was very well hidden.<p>

Leo was still working on something and didn't even look up when Nico returned. He noticed, though, because he suddenly asked: "Why don't you just shadow-travel out?"

For a moment Nico just blinked at him. "Seriously? It took you _this long_ to come up with that question?"

"What can I say, I'm a mechanic," Leo said and didn't even seem at all bothered by the slight insult. "I think of ways to solve problems physically and not underworld-power-ly. But now that I've gone there, it seems like our best chance."

"It's not," Nico grumbled. "I just shadow-travelled to Camp Jupiter a little while ago. I can't use it too often, without risking my life."

"Ah, I see", Leo said. "Too bad. It could have been helpful."

"Really, you think?" Nico snapped at him.

Leo sighed, put his work down and looked at Nico. "Okay, I think I need to clear the air about something, because it might take a while before we get out of here and you're being a baby."

This insult caused Nico to shoot Leo a dark look but he didn't flinch which was highly unusual for him.

When Leo continued he pronounced every word clearly and distinctly. "I am _sorry_ I kissed you." Nico's dark expression faded into a confusion. He didn't know what he had expected but it certainly hadn't been this. "I shouldn't have done it. I honestly don't know what got into me. I don't usually go around harassing people. Especially you, when I know you don't like being touched and stuff."

Nico swallowed. That was only partly true. Over the past months he had gotten used being close to Will and had even come to enjoy it. But there had always been this little part of him that had kept wishing it would be over already. The thing about the kiss with Leo, however; it _hadn't _disturbed Nico. Not a single part of him had wished for it to be over. And it certainly hadn't felt like harassment.

Of course there was no way he could explain that to Leo without … without what exactly? Nico felt like screaming. Lately his own thoughts didn't seem to go anywhere. The point was: He couldn't tell Leo about how he felt about the kiss. It would make things even more awkward.

"It wasn't your fault, Leo. Besides, if anyone should apologize it's me. You were right about what you said. You drank the potion, not me. It's my job to _stop_ you when you try something like that, not," he lowered his head. "… participate."

Leo grinned. "I didn't mind."

"You _would_ mind, if you were yourself." Nico's voice got quieter with every word.

"I _am_ myself. The potion didn't change my personality. Look," Leo sighed. "How about this; we agree we _both_ screwed up and call it even?"

Nico nodded. "Fine. You _do _admit the potion worked, though?" He didn't know why he thought of this as important, but somehow he did.

Leo exhaled and leaned his back against the work table. When he spoke again he seemed just as casual as always but somehow Nico didn't buy it. He wasn't at all as relaxed as he seemed and chose his words very carefully. "In a way, I guess. I feel … attracted to you." It was clearly hard for Leo to say it out loud and Nico lowered his head in a desperate attempt to hide his red cheeks. "But I don't know if I'd call it love. Then again, what do I know about it, I've never been in love."

Nico tried to stay focus on the one thing in Leo's words that didn't make his head look like a tomato. "You haven't? What about Calypso?"

"That was a rush of feelings," Leo shrugged. "Just like with the Ice Princess, Thalia and- … someone else. You don't know her." Nico had a feeling he did know her, but didn't push it. "Anyway, that's what I do. As long as a girl is hot and 100% _un_available, I fall for her. I fall fast, I fall hard, have my heart broken … and then I meet another gorgeous girl, whom I can't possibly have, move on and the cycle repeats itself. It's not fun, but it's my life."

For some reason Nico found himself saying something he regretted that very same moment. "Moving on is still better than years of hoping and heartbreak because of the same person."

Leo bit his lip and nodded. He didn't say it out loud but Nico knew what he was thinking: Percy. He didn't ask any questions, something Nico was grateful for. "But you moved on eventually." Leo finally said. "To Will."

"I did." This was the moment to abort this conversation, Nico knew it - and he let it pass. "But I never … I don't think I was in love with him."

"So I take it you don't want to get back together with him? Because I hear that's what he wants."

Nico shrugged. Usually that would have been his complete reply, but to his own surprise he kept talking. "That's what I've been trying to figure out. On the one hand I guess it wouldn't be fair to him if I did. But on the other … I _do_ like him and maybe ... Besides, I'm afraid I …" he broke off, realizing he had trouble finishing any of his sentences. "I don't think we should talk about this."

"What, you mean given our special circumstances?"

"Sort of," Nico admitted. "But also because we don't talk about these things."

"We didn't use to but that doesn't mean we can't start. I know you think otherwise but you and I, we're not that different."

Nico couldn't help but looking at him in disbelief.

"I mean it." And in fact, Nico had never seen Leo so serious.

"Leo, just let it-"

"My mom died when I was eight," Leo cut him short and Nico froze. "And you wouldn't imagine how many foster parents sent me right back to the foster home. I know what it's like to be unwanted. Lonely. I still feel like that sometimes, even here. Don't get me wrong, I have friends here, but they don't see me. Really see me. Not that I blame them, because I'm the one who shuts them out. "

"But … you don't seem like you're shutting people out."

"That's because I do it a little less obvious than you. See, when _you_ do it people are bound notice, because you pull away both emotionally and physically. Me … I push forward, make jokes and most important I make sure everyone can see that I'm fine. _Especially_ when I'm not. Leo Valdez, always in the spotlight. What they fail to notice is that no one's there with me. And that sometimes, it sucks."

Nico didn't need to ask why Leo didn't do anything against it, if it bothered him. He knew the answer already because he _lived_ it.

Shutting people out, being alone, was one thing. But letting them in would give them the opportunity (however unlikely) to shut _you_ out … the very thought alone was horrifying. It took a huge amount of trust. Never would he have expected Leo of all people to understood this. To actually feel the same. And the very fact that Leo told him all of this meant that he had opened up to Nico. For a split second Nico wondered, if that was because of the love potion but he quickly pushed that thought aside.

Someone who didn't know what it was like feeling like this, might have said something like 'I'm sorry' or 'Why didn't you say anything sooner?'. Nico, however, knew exactly what to say. What he only suitable reaction was, because everything else, any kind of condolence, was bound to seem shallow, even if it wasn't meant that way. It was like people saying they're sorry when someone died. It always felt hollow.

"I'm afraid … I'll never find anyone again if I let Will go," he admitted. "That no one else could love me.

He half expected Leo to make one of his stupid jokes (like 'Unless you get them to drink a love potion, right?'), but he just looked at him for a really long moment. Something in his eyes made Nico wonder what was on his mind right now.

"Even if that were true and I know it's not, but I won't argue about that now," Leo finally said. "Not wanting to be alone is no reason to be with someone you don't love."

"Maybe I'll grow to love him."

"And maybe _I'll _grow to be an accountant." _Ah, there's the stupid joke_, Nico thought. Surprisingly enough, it didn't annoy him, it actually made him smile a bit. "Look, I'm not going to pretend I know my way around love and stuff, because I just told you don't … but I do know you can't force these things. And you know it, too. I'm sure back when you were in love with Percy you've tried to fall _out_ of it a couple of times. How did that work out for you?"

Nico fell into silence, _very_ unpleased with the fact that Leo had a point.

After a while Leo took a deep breath. "Anyway, I should probably stop being all insightful and stuff. That can't be good for my image."

Again Nico smiled, but couldn't help thinking if Leo was really making a joke or if it was true. After all, he had admitted to Nico that some of his happiness was all an act. Maybe he was maintaining a certain image. However, Nico felt like he got a glimpse at the real Leo Valdez today and he liked what he'd seen so far. He couldn't help but thinking that there was probably a lot more to find out about Leo. And he was surprised that he _wanted_ to.

Nico had found himself wanting to find out more about another person only two times before ... first with Percy and then with Will. He bit his lower lip. Was he overthinking again? Because according to Leo that was his problem.

Whatever he was doing got interrupted when Leo took a dust sheet from one of the tables and threw it on the floor. The next moment Leo stretched himself and stepped on it

Nico frowned. "What's that going to be?"

"What does it look like? I'm going to sleep. It'll make time go by a lot faster. And since there's no bed here," he pointed at the sheet. "I improvised." Then then laid down, flat on his back, crossed his arms behind his head and closed his eyes.

Nico blinked at him. That couldn't possibly be comfortable, although Leo kind of made it look like it was. At first Leo's chest rose and fell rather quickly. A little while later his breaths got deeper and his lips parted as he started breathing through his mouth. He couldn't have fallen asleep this fast, right?

When Nico realized he noticed all these things because he didn't take his eyes off of Leo, he had completely lost track of time. How long had he been staring at him? The worst part: He still was! And then suddenly the kiss popped back into his head (which didn't help the situation at all).

His heart beat faster.

The next moment Nico found himself sitting next to Leo without having a single clue as for how he got there. Leo didn't wince, which told Nico he hadn't been asleep. But he must have heard Nico coming closer because his eyes flew open instantly and found Nico's.

"What?" he asked with a soft voice.

"I'm trying to not overthink this." Nico's voice was barely a whisper.

Then he bend down and kissed Leo.

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><p>Uhu, Nico's being proactive :D How d'you like it? Please review 3<br>Till next time!


	5. Chapter 5

_To my lovely reviewers:  
>TeamEthanMorgan <em> Well, it's Nico. He needs some time to get used to happiness and stuff ;)  
><em>rainbowchameleon<em> :) Glad you liked it!  
><em>AmaebLEO<em> Aw thanks! "soon" has finally come!  
><em>JustAnotherFangirl5<em> I was so happy about your review :) Thank you!  
><em>Guest:<em> Thanks!

So, it took me a little longer to write this Chapter. But work has been crazy and it won't get better any time soon. Which mean it'll take me longer to update than before. So sorry!

I hope you like the 5th chapter :) Please R&R

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><p><strong>5<strong>

Over the following two weeks Nico and Leo barely kept their hands off of each other.

Leo still spend all of his time at Bunker 9 but Nico was with him. Of course Nico came there in secret. He told everyone his father had given him a special assignment which was why he was away most days. No one dared to question it because no one wanted to risk getting on Hades' bad side. That was one of the rare advantages for having the God of the Underworld as your father.

Technically Nico _had_ an assignment, regarding his father … it just hadn't come from him. Nico'd been able to shadow-travel again for at least a week but he had hoped Leo would forget about his phone project. After all Nico kept him quite busy. Unfortunately Nico was dangerously closing in on feeling a little too happy when he was with Leo and a little too sad when he wasn't. That wasn't good. They had an understanding about their … affiliation and it did not include these kind of feelings.

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><p><em>[2 weeks ago]<em>

"I'm trying to not overthink this." Nico's voice was barely a whisper.

Then he bend down and kissed Leo.

Leo was stiff, obviously completely taken aback and for a painfully long moment Nico was afraid he'd gone too far. But then Leo's lips came back to life and returned the kiss. Those warm, tender lips, Nico remembered from their last encounter. This time however, Nico didn't black out. Heat spread from his lips through his torso over his stomach to his entire body. Nico couldn't tell for the life of him if that came from Leo's powers or something else entirely.

Nico only realized he'd forgotten to breath when he started feeling lightheaded and pulled away, gasping for air. As soon as Leo realized that he smirked.

"Easy there, Angel Face," Leo said. "Breathing is our friend."

As Nico was still trying to stabilize his breathing Leo sat up and watched him with an amused sparkle in his eyes. "You're cute, you know that?" Leo asked.

Nico felt heat rising to his cheeks again. He really needed a way to fix that. "Er … no …"

Leo laughed, a laugh so contagious it made even Nico smile. Leo then leaned forward to kiss him again and Nico's efforts to calm himself went to hell. This one was even better than the two kisses before, because this time neither of them was caught by surprise. The world went away as he allowed Leo's tongue access to his mouth. The heat returned and if possible it was even hotter. Leo grabbed Nico by his hips and pulled him even closer as he deepened the kiss. Nico ran his hands over Leo's chest and crossed them behind his neck.

Never had he thought kissing Leo would feel so good. In a way he should be thankful Drew brew that potion. At that thought Nico's eyes flew open and just like that the world, together with all it's problems, was back. Nico broke off the kiss and Leo looked at him, his brown eyes full with confusion and concern.

As Nico tried to pull away completely Leo used his grip around him to hold him close. "Don't," Leo said.

"Don't what?"

"Don't start overthinking now."

"This is not overthinking. It's reality."

Leo sighed and let go of him while he mumbled "Too late."

Now that Nico was able to get away from Leo, he didn't. "You said it yourself. The kiss was a mistake. And _this_ is, too."

"No, what I said was that I was sorry I kissed you. Big difference. And I only said that because I thought you hadn't wanted me to. It's also why I stayed away from you since. Well, except for today, obviously. But after what Drew said-"

This time Nico raised to his feet and distanced himself from Leo. "We are still not talking about that!" He wasn't entirely sure why he still tried to deny having liked the kiss, especially after he initiated another one. It just made him feel uncomfortable.

Leo ignored him but stood up as well. "And after what you just did... it's pretty obvious you're attracted to me, too."

"No one is attracted to anyone! You're only feeling what you're feeling because of the potion and I am _not_ going to fall for a straight guy again, okay? I've_ been_ there, I've _done_ that, I _don't_ need to do it again! End of discussion!"

"Okay," Leo said and help up his palms. "May I say one last thing on topic?"

"Like I can stop you ..." Nico had a feeling Leo was going to say it anyway, he might as well just allow it.

"Who says you're going to fall for me?" The question was so plain it shot Nico speechless. Weirdly that possibility never crossed his mind. "We're talking _physical attraction_ here and that's obviously there. Why can't we just, I don't know ... have some fun? No strings attached. I promise not to hate you when the potion wears off and if it makes you feel any better _you_ can promise not to develop any romantic feelings for me. Which I don't see happening anyway. We'd just be doing stuff we both want, no matter for what reason, for as long as we both want it. Completely casual."

Nico only realized that Leo had walked over to him when he was already close enough for Nico to feel Leo's breath on his skin, which sent goosebumps over Nico's body. "Do those terms sound acceptable to you?"

Honest answer? No. But right when he was about to say it out loud, he pulled Leo closer for another kiss instead.

Percy and Jason found them a few hours later. Luckily it took them a while get the doors open, so Nico and Leo had time to act like nothing had happened between them. Later, while Leo was yelling at Percy for damaging the doors, Nico took Jason aside and made him promise not to mention any of this to Piper. Jason didn't understood why, and Nico didn't tell him, but he promised anyway.

* * *

><p>Now Nice knew; he should have gone with his instinct. He should have known he wasn't the casual-type … but he wasn't willing to give it up either. Besides, he wasn't sure if their relationship <em>was <em>casual. Granted, Nico wasn't an expert in that area, but they were telling each other their deepest thoughts and about the hardest times in their lives. It didn't sound casual to him.

Leo had told him about how his mother had died and the families he had shortly lived with since then. Piper and Jason had been his first friends since he could remember but he'd always felt like the third, and later on like the seventh wheel. Nico could relate to that. He had told him about his previous conflicted feelings for Percy; how he'd loathed and loved him at the same time. He'd also told him about Bianca, which was new to him, too. He never spoke of her, not even to Will, because it hurt too much. But somehow, having Leo listening to it and holding his hand, it wasn't painful – it felt surprisingly good being able to talk about his sister. Like Leo had been able to take away a weight he had carried all those years.

Nico even managed to shut out the thoughts about the potion when he was with Leo. Whenever he wasn't Nico felt like horrible human being, but he's felt worse, so he could take it … besides, what told him that the potion was even still working? Leo had only drunken what, a zip, two weeks. Maybe it had already worn off and Leo wanted to be with him for real. Of course there was a way to find out whether that was true. Piper had told him they could meet her mother anytime they wanted and Nico … ignored it. Frankly, he was scared to find out that maybe the potion was still working. As long as he didn't know it, he could still hope. And he clung to this hope. Badly. Desperately.

However, today he had another problem; breaking bad news to his … well … to Leo without hurting him. Yesterday Leo had reminded Nico of his promise to talk to his father about the phone project and that's where Nico came from right now. Let's just say it did not go well, but Nico had expected that much. And while Leo'd said it was okay if it didn't work out with Hades, Nico still thought that Leo put more hopes into this than he was willing to admit. Even to his … well … to Nico.

Shadow-travelling from the Underworld right to Bunker 9 would have been perfect – and later that day Nico would wish he had – but he had promised Jason a rematch in sword fighting. Nico had beaten Jason a week ago and he had been eager for a rematch ever since, so Nico went.

Not very long though. He knew Jason wanted to win and Nico wanted to go to Leo, so he gave Jason what he wanted rather quickly. Will, who amongst others was watching, eyed him suspiciously but Nico ignored him. Jason didn't really question his conquest except that he seemed to think Nico was a little exhausted from the mysterious assignmentfor Hades. Nico was glad to let him think that and went off to the woods.

He had made up a couple of routes and altered them every time he went to Bunker 9, so that no one would know where he went. Today however he got a little sloppy, because he kept thinking about how he'd break the news to Leo more than about the way he took. Also today had been the longest of not-seeing-Leo within the last two weeks since Nico had gone to the Underworld in the morning and it was afternoon now. He just wanted to get back to Leo.

When he arrived at the Bunker Leo was working on another project. He looked up once he saw Nico closing the doors behind him.

"There you are," Leo's face went from focused to happy as he walked over to Nico and gave him a kiss. "I was getting worried you might have forgotten about me. I haven't seen you all day."

"_You_ send me to my father, remember?"

"Yes, but I didn't say you should make a day out of it."

"I didn't. I came back an hour ago but I had to let Jason kick my ass in sword fighting …" When Leo frowned Nico shook his head. "Not important."

"So," Leo took his hands and pulled him over to the other side of the Bunker, to a cozy little sofa Leo had brought into the Bunker. They sat down. "How did it go?"

Nico bit his lips and before he even said a single word Leo made a face. "That bad, huh?"

"I didn't say that."

"No, but you bit your lip. You only do that when you don't know how to say something or when we're a lot closer than this."

Nico sighed. "He's not going to help."

Leo nodded but was silent for a while. He was hurt.

"I'm sorry, Leo," Nico said, squeezing his hand. "I tried to talk him into it, I really did. But Persephone was there. She doesn't like me and took her feelings for me out on your idea, which wasn't particularly helpful."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I mean, it sucks, obviously, but I'll find another way. It'll just take longer, that's all." Leo smiled at him. Nico was impressed by how convinced he sounded. Maybe he even was. "Thanks for asking anyways. I know you didn't want to go down there."

"It's okay."

"What I don't get is _why_," Leo continued. "You used to go back and forth all the time. Why the sudden change of mind?"

Nico lowered his head. That was something he hadn't told Leo yet. "I did", he said. "But … that was when I didn't have any friends. And I think that was because I spent so much time in the Underworld. It creeped everyone out, people were afraid of me. Like I was death or something." He knew Leo used to feel that way, too, which was why he couldn't meet Leo's eyes as he spoke. "My life changed when I stopped going to the Underworld. And I don't want it to change back. Not when … I sort of like how things are going right now." He meant everything in his life but if he were honest, Leo had become a huge part of that _everything _by now.

After a moment of silence Leo slid closer to Nico and made him look up again.

"Sometimes you can be very thick, you know that?" Leo asked. "I admit, you used to have that Underground-Vibe but that was really more an expression. Your life didn't change because you stopped going there. Frankly, if you had stopped going to the Underworld and spent all your time in Vegas instead, not much would have changed. But you were here, at Camp and spent some time with the others. They all got to see that that you're actually quite nice. _That's_ what did the trick. You don't have to worry it'll all reverse just because you take a few trips to the Underworld. It won't happen."

Nico lightly smiled at him.

"Still, you shouldn't go there too often." Leo's lips displayed a playful smile as he leaned toward Nico. "That would really cut down our alone-time."

As Leo leaned in to kiss Nico his smile got wider and Nico's heart beat faster. When Leo's lips brushed him teasingly Nico pulled him closer and kissed him. Nico still hadn't gotten used to the fact that he forgot everything around him when they kissed. He didn't care where they were or how the circumstances were because he was just so happy. All that mattered was that they were together. Nico didn't even realize that he shifted his position and was now nearly sitting on Leo.

That's when he was brutally ripped out of the world Leo and him had build together.

"So that's why you needed the sofa."

Nico jumped instantly. He knew that voice. Sliding off of Leo he saw him standing there, staring at them in disbelief.

Will.


End file.
